When you think about the employees in your company and on your team, what sets apart the “good” performers from the “best” performers? Aside from productivity and the ability to meet or exceed the duties and responsibilities outlined in their job descriptions, what leadership skills define your A-players?
At Communiqué PR, as in other PR agencies, everyone, even managers, needs to excel as individual contributors in order for an account team and the agency as a whole to succeed. Now, a recent study conducted by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman and published on the Harvard Business Review blog, has identified nine behaviors that distinguish exceptional individual contributors from the competent. Ranked in the order of which made the most difference, stand-out performers do the following:
- Set stretch goals and adopt high standards for themselves
- Work collaboratively
- Volunteer to represent the group
- Embrace change, rather than resisting it
- Take initiative
- Walk the talk
- Use good judgment
- Display personal resilience
- Give honest feedback
All of these skills plus job competency would make for one high-achieving employee, but the skill that struck me was the last: the ability to give honest feedback. This behavior is expected from a manager, but not normally from an individual contributor, which is why, according to Zenger and Folkman, those who exhibited this behavior stood out the most from the crowd. Furthermore, the study found that the best individual contributors were able to provide feedback in a manner that was “perceived not as criticism, but as a gesture of good will.” Giving feedback can also be one of the more difficult leadership skills to perfect, no matter where you are in your career.
Delivering outstanding work for our clients requires tight collaboration within account teams, across the agency and most importantly with our clients. Whether it’s helping a colleague refine a pitch, delivering a presentation, or providing counsel on a thorny issue, the perspective, expertise and opinions of others can help the collective team accomplish its objectives. The key for encouraging this skill is to nurture an environment where the respectful exchange of feedback is supported.
For more information on the study and details on the nine behaviors, check out Zenger and Folkman’s post on the Harvard Business Review blog.
For you managers: How do you identify contributors who are able to offer honest feedback? How do you specifically nurture that skill within your team or company?